Ventura County supervisors to consider $3 million contribution to Casa Pacifica

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider contributing $3 million to nonprofit Casa Pacifica family and child services to help expand its health clinic, build foster youth housing and enhance other programs.

The county has partnered with Camarillo-based Casa Pacifica since it opened in 1994, establishing an emergency shelter and residential treatment center for abused and neglected children, County Executive Officer Michael Powers wrote in a memo to supervisors. The county invested $4 million in the facilities and leases the property at 1722 S. Lewis Road to Casa Pacifica for a nominal fee that would be worth $750,000 annually on the open market, Powers wrote.

Casa Pacifica's board in October launched a "Building New Foundations of Hope" capital campaign to raise $21 million to meet the needs of a growing population and an increased need for services for abused and neglected children, Powers wrote.

The proposed capital improvements will expand and enhance on-site services, including new cottages, housing for foster youth, a therapeutic activities building, vocational education, training space, classrooms and expansion of the health clinic.